This year, we had a very long monsoon season. It was unusually wet and even cold. Then, suddenly, when the calendar turned into August, we are thrown into sunny and damned hot summer. It seems to me the condition was perfect for Platypus quercivorus to establish colonies in old oak trees in Kanagawa Prefecture. The oaks, mainly Quercus serrata, that have been spared from the infection of the bugs before the rain are now blasted here and there. It’s the beginning of rapid spread of Japanese Oak Tree Wilt. I’ve heard in Togawa Park 神奈川県立秦野戸川公園 (; my post on February 14, 2020), the most popular entrance to Tanzawa mountains, decided to hire pros to cut lots of died oaks in order to prevent accident by diseased oaks falling over the hikers … Here in more urban Yokohama, many Quercus serrata have abruptly turned brown under bright sunshine. They are dying.
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| These two trees are dying
side-by-side in a park near Niiharu … |
We Niiharu Lovers are somehow sanguine about the situation. We last year found a tree on the popular road in Niiharu that was infected by the disease. The City cut it, and we have been, a sort of, waiting for the result. Now this. “Well, if we have not taken care of the forest for a long time and let the oaks to be bigger like now, the explosion of infectious disease has been a disaster in waiting.” Yes. If people have harvested fuel logs and used the tree for cultivating mushrooms, such thing could not happen. Platypus quercivorus are picky home buyers. They live only in large oaks. In the 1960s and onwards, the society chose the convenience of petrol-based activities. Traditional usage of Satoyama forest was forgotten. Oaks that were before coppiced every 15-20 years were abandoned and become formidable size. Bugs have found the large supply of the best property for their sweet home with thousands of babies per couple … The thing we can do now, apart from treating the infected trees, is to keep doing our voluntary work of forest management, isn’t it?
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| Niiharu’s infected trees … They looked OK in July … |
Such unintended consequence of human activity is becoming undercurrent for this year’s Laboratory of Forest Art. For one thing, last year’s typhoons made great damages in the entire North Forests of Yokohama. It shocked the artists. I’ve heard the power of typhoon has been treated as the important element of 2020 exhibition since last fall. Next came COVID-19 pandemic, which put another constraint for their activities especially when they plan to have art workshops. Finally, at the end of monsoon the preparation of the 2020 show has started, and the oaks of their place started to dieback. The members of the Creation and Voice of the Woods 創造と森の声 are now digesting all of these things to be reflected in their new installation for coming September.
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| The forest for
Laboratory of Forest Art is having lots of Japanese Oak Tree Wilt … |
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| This is due to last year’s
typhoons in their forest. |
So, Laboratory of Forest Art 2020 is planned to be a bit different from the previous years. They do not have opening and closing parties, but present their work for a longer period of time, from September 6th to October 18th, via internet. One or two families will be allowed to join several workshops with RSVP at first-come-first-served base. Please check their HP here, and see the availability of workshop, videos about their activity, etc. The 2020 show will be from 27th of September to October 18th. We can just check internet, or go there and see how artists are coping with this new world’s situation in the forest. I hope, by then, at least this hot summer days are somehow ending …
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| Mr. Kazuo Ishikuro is in the
forest for this year’s installation … His is a sort of shocking creature. Please stay tuned! |
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| Mr. Youichiro Yoshikawa’s
creation looks like this now. How will he treat it this year? |
If you find a problem in the
site introduced in this post, the best contact address will be GROUP the
Creation and Voice of the Woods.
https://morilab.amebaownd.com/
e-mail: morinokoe7@yahoo.co.jp
The city office which is in charge of this forest is
Office for the Park Greeneries in the North 北部公園緑地事務所
Yokohama Municipal Government
Creative Environment Policy Bureau 横浜市環境創造局
Phone: 045-311-2016
FAX: 045-316-8420
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